50,000 take Sky Sport on BT Vision

BT profits have beaten expectations thanks to strong growth in both broadband and its BT Vision television service.

Pre-tax profits at the telecoms giant rose 13 per cent to £496 million in the three months to the end of September, compared with the same period last year. BT said its full-year earnings were likely to be slightly above the £5.6 billion (E6.72bn) previously expected.

The group’s broadband television service BT Vision added 24,000 just customers, bringing the total to 520,000. About 10 per cent of subscribers have taken BT’s Sky Sports offering, which launched at the start of the 2010-11 Premier League football season.

Meanwhile, BT revealed there will be further enhancements made to its BT Vision service before the end of the year, including faster high-definition downloads and 3D programming.